I'm Not Ready
by beautifulxliar
Summary: Bella and Edward are in college. Bella is studying to be a travelling nurse. Edward is working on his music degree and career. They first meet when Edward is promoting a concert. They are thrown together again as lab partners in Bio. When they finally graduate, Edward is ready to get married and settle down. But what if Bella wants to travel, live, and work before settling down?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters.**

 **Warning: This story will include some nursing activities and speak. Any abbreviations/procedures that are not common knowledge will be explained at the end of the chapter. I don't plan on being too specific with anything graphic. However, if you have a really weak stomach, there may be some parts of the story you want to skip (if you let me know that you have a weak stomach (or anything in specific such as needles bothers you), I will provide a warning for anything that you might not want to read). As a story that is about college students, there will be cussing, mentions of sex (at the very least), alcohol, and anything else that comes to me as I'm writing. Don't read if you are offended by or do not like anything mentioned above. Otherwise, happy reading :)**

 _Chapter One_

"Hey guys, what's the plan for dinner?" I drop my bag onto the table that's sitting beside the couch. Alice and Rosalie, my two best friends, sit on the couch watching TV.

"Whatever you feel like making us, Bells." Rosalie smiles cheekily at me when she looks up from the TV.

"Bitch." I grumble as I walk away from the couch.

"Slut. You know you love me." She called to me as I reach the kitchen, opening the cabinets to see what we have.

"How about we call for pizza?" I raise my voice loud enough to be heard in the living room.

"Again?" Alice whines.

"Either pizza or you cook. And, we are out of groceries. Again."

"How can we be out of food? We just went shopping like Tuesday." Rose joins in on the whining.

"The Tuesday of two weeks ago." I flop down onto the couch between Alice and Rose.

I zone out, thinking about the paper that I have to write for my nursing class. I barely hear Alice ordering pizza because I am so consumed in my thoughts. I'm still in the middle of planning my paper when the doorbell rings.

"It's your turn to pay." Alice slaps my thigh lightly as she says this.

I jump up from the couch, grabbing my wallet from my bag on the way to the door. I pull out the small wad of cash I have and then pull the door open.

"Uh..hi?" I look at the bronze haired god standing on the other side of the door.

"Hey," He flashes a crooked smile at me. "There's this bar, down on fifth, called The Pub. You know it?" He holds out a neon green sheet of paper towards me.

"Yeah, I've heard of it." I manage to get out as I take the paper from his hand, trying not to stare too much.

"I'm performing there tonight. You should come check it out. And bring your friends!" He shouts a little, already walking to the next door while smiling at me again.

I pull my eyes away from him and shut the door. I hand the flier to Rose when I walk back into the living room.

"It wasn't the pizza, it was some guy handing out fliers for The Pub. Apparently he is playing there tonight and he wants me to come and bring my friends." I chuckle lightly when I finish.

"Was he hot?" Alice pulls the flier out of Rose's hands and looks down at it.

"I don't know, I didn't notice." I tried to lie, feeling the blood rush to my face, probably giving me away.

"That's totally your lie face." Alice smirks at me as the doorbell rings again.

"Saved by the pizza." I smile as I walk back to the door.

"Hey Jake." I say when I see the pizza guy outside of the door this time.

"Pizza again?" Jacob laughs gently.

"Alice volunteered to poison us with her cooking, but I volunteered to buy pizza because I value life." I joke, leaning against the door.

Jake laughs again as he holds the pizza out to me. I hand him the cash, already knowing how much it was going to be with a tip. He shoves the money into his pocket.

"Have you started your paper for class yet?" He asks. Jake was one of the few guys that are in the program with us. He was one of the smartest people in the class.

"I've started thinking about it." I answer. "But the dinner crisis came up before I could really get started. It's going to be a long night of working on it and studying for the test next week."

"Yeah, I plan on starting it once I get off work. We should meet up a few times before the test to get some studying in." Jake shoves both of his hands into his front pockets.

"Definitely. I should get back into the girls before they come get the pizza from me." I hold up the pizza a little bit. "Thanks for bringing it out."

"You're welcome. Take it easy. Don't put too much of the night into the paper and studying. It's Friday! Try to have a little fun." Jake offers me one more smile before he begins walking away.

The girls jump up from the couch when I close the door and meet me in the kitchen, already having plates and beer set out on the counter. I smile, enjoying the atmosphere we have created in the apartment. I have been living with these two girls since our freshman year. I was really surprised that the questionnaire for roommates they make you fill out worked so well for us. We all bonded instantly and we have been living together this whole time. We just started the second semester of our junior year.

Alice was majoring in fashion. Which really was a great fit for her. She always looks her best and she always makes sure that both Rose and I look our best too. Rose is majoring in business. She is determined to make it into the cut throat, male dominated industry and become a CEO of some big company one day. I am studying to be a nurse. I want to be a travelling nurse. I want to see the world and experience as much as I can before I choose to marry and settle down with a man and make a family.

Alice pulls me out of my thoughts as she hands me a plate with two slices of pizza on the plate. I grab a bottle of beer from the counter and make my way back into the living room. I sit down in the chair, leaving the couch for Alice and Rose. Over the two and a half years that we have been living together, we have all created the spaces we like to have. Alice and Rose have always taken to sharing the couch, leaving me the chair. I prefer the chair. It's a great chair to curl up in with a good book. Or when I am trying to study.

Alice flips through channels on the TV, looking for something she determines is watchable.

"I, for one, think we should go to The Pub tonight to watch the hot guy play." Alice starts as she takes a bite of pizza.

"I completely agree. You have had your nose pressed into those stupid books ever since the beginning of the year. You should take tonight off and come out with us." Rose agreed.

"Okay." I sigh. "But, tomorrow I really have to work on this paper. And then maybe meet up with Jacob and study for the test I have next week."

"Do you really need to study with that dog?" Rose scrunches her face into a scowl at the thought of Jake.

"I really don't know what your problem with him is. But yes, not only is he one of the smartest people in the program, but he is also a great friend." I roll my eyes at Rose.

"Okay well while you two having a pissing contest, I'm going to pick out the outfits we will wear tonight." Alice smiles brightly, taking her plate to the kitchen before walking down the short hallway where our bedrooms are.

"Are you against Jake because you know he will never be into you?" I stick my tongue out at Rose so she would know I was joking.

"I'm happy he's gay so I don't have to put up with his flirting. You know he would be all over me if he were straight." Rose giggles lightly at the end. She was right though. Rose was the prettiest person I'd ever seen. Well maybe that bronze haired god that came by earlier could rival her. But she was gorgeous. Tall, curves in all the right places, long blonde hair, and the prettiest blue eyes, that could turn to ice when she was angry or at work. Alice was pretty also. She was the polar opposite from Rose though. Alice is short, with black hair cut like a pixie, and dark eyes.

Of course Alice and Rose both have most of the guys on campus wrapped around their fingers. However, both of them were completely loyal to their boyfriends. Rose's boyfriend, Emmett, was a physical education major at the college. You could practically tell his major just by looking at him. He was huge. He also stuck to the college tradition of many guys, wearing gym shorts and muscle tanks around the school no matter what the weather was like. Alice had picked a history major named Jasper. He was quiet and always knew how to put people at ease. Which complimented Alice who is rambunctious and she could definitely be loud when she wanted.

Alice and Rose tried to set me up with several of their friends over the years. However, I was completely focused on my education and then building my career. I didn't want a guy to get in the way of my future. My mother always taught me the importance of a woman being able to support herself and not relying on a man. I took those words very seriously. I do go out sometime with my friends, I just don't want to get tangled up in a messy relationship and have it affect my education.

"I expect showers done and dressed out here in thirty!" Alice calls once she gets finished pulling the clothes she wanted us to wear and probably placing them on our beds.

"I'll shower first so you can finish eating." Rose puts her plate in the kitchen before walking to our single bathroom.

I look down at the piece and a half of pizza still sitting on my plate. Suddenly, I'm no longer hungry. My stomach twisting into knots at the idea of seeing the bronze haired god again. I quickly down the rest of my beer, knowing that I'm going to regret not eating more later. I dump the pizza into the trash along with the beer bottle.

When Rose yells that she's out of the shower, I jump in, trying to take a quick shower. I know Alice is a stickler to her plans. However, I can't help but take a moment to allow the warm water and scent of my strawberry shampoo to relax me.

Alice attacked me as soon as I told her I was out of the shower and dressed. She immediately pulls me away from the mirror and starts pulling at my hair.

When Alice is finally done, she allows me to take a look at myself in the mirror. I actually look pretty, just as I always do when Alice does my hair and makeup. My long brown hair falls down my back in gentle waves. My brown eyes are lightly surrounded with eyeliner and eyeshadow. It made my eyes pop without being too much. She lined my lips with a light pink color before declaring herself done with me. She then went to see Rose and make sure she was getting ready as Alice wanted. I look down at the outfit she picked out for me. The dark blue halter top hugged my body attractively. The black jeans made my ass look amazing and were still comfortable, which are the two reasons these were my favorite pair of jeans. I'm not sure about the heels she demanded I wear. But if I fell and broke and ankle, she would have to carry me to the hospital.

When I finish my assessment, I walk into the living room and take a seat lightly on the couch. Rose and Alice soon walk out from Rose's room and I stand up to make my way to the door.

The drive to The Pub passes quickly and I stare out of the window as Alice drives too fast down the main strip. Alice squeezes her bug into a small spot that wasn't too far from the door. Rose climbs out and then pushes the chair forward for me to climb out of the backseat.

"I don't know why I always have to sit in the back. It's so cramped back there." I grumble as I attempt to straighten my clothes.

"You're the smallest." Rosalie doesn't even look at me as she uses the window of the small car to check her makeup.

"Alice is the smallest." I smile, patting Alice's shoulder as we make our way to the door.

"Yeah, but my car, so I drive." Alice shows her ID to the man standing outside of the door. Rose and I show our ID's as well and are quickly ushered inside.

The bar smelled of sweat and stale beer. But it was obviously popular, the people are packed from wall to wall. We decide to get a drink and then see if we can find a table somewhere.

"Hey, are you looking for a table?" A man calls, as I'm walking around holding the bottle of beer.

"Yeah." I nod, afraid he can't hear me over the loud music.

"We're leaving. Why don't you take this one?" He smiles as he and the lady at the table get up.

"Thanks." I smile as I sit down and send a quick text to Alice and Rose telling them where to find me.

"Hey! You came!" The bronze haired guy pops up beside me.

"Yeah, my friends insisted." I smile as I take a large sip of the beer.

"Yeah, your friends, okay." He winks, looking pointedly at the empty chairs sitting around the table. "Mind if I have a sip of that?" He holds his hand out for my beer.

I offer the beer to him and watch as he takes a sip.

"Thanks. I'm about to go up. Any requests?" He sets the beer on the table in front of me.

"Do you know the song _My Brown Eyed Girl_? I haven't heard it live in forever and it's my absolute favorite."

"Sure, oh and thanks for coming." He turns to walk away.

"Please don't butcher my favorite song!" I call after him taking another sip from my beer.

Alice and Rose show up on the other side of the table from me, sliding into their seats as the bronze haired god took the stage.

"Hey guys, my name is Edward. I'll be playing a couple songs for you tonight. Thank you all for coming." He smiles, picking up a guitar.

As he launches into his first song, I take a moment to really look at him. His hair sticks out at every angle, giving him sex hair. I can't see the color of his eyes from here, but I know from seeing them earlier that they are a beautiful shade of green. His nose is straight and he has an angular jaw. He is tall and his body looks muscular, but not too muscular. His shirt hugs his bicep just right as he strums the guitar.

"Awh, look how cute she is looking at him like that." Alice "whispers" to Rose.

"Hush guys." I command, my face flushing.

Rose had another beer in front of me before I finished the first one. I started on that one after chugging what was left of my first beer.

I looked up at the stage when I heard the opening chords of the song I requested.

"This is my last song tonight, guys. I hope you all had a great time and enjoyed my music. Drive safe tonight." He begins singing the song and he looks at me. I blush and quickly look away, but I can't stop myself from swaying to the music. Our eyes meet once more as he strums the final chord. He winks at me before putting his guitar down, thanking everyone for coming, and then walks off stage.

 **A/N: So, this idea was given to me by someone close to me. I enjoyed the idea and I thought I would try it out. Obviously, there is some writing to be done before we get to the point where Edward and Bella want to marry, which is written in the description, but it will happen if the story continues. So, I'll continue the idea and see where the writing leads me if anyone is interested in reading more.**

 **A super big thanks to anyone who took their time to read this story.**

 **If you have the time, please leave a review. The idea is still in the beginning stages, so any ideas, thoughts, or smiley faces are welcome! An even bigger thanks to anyone who takes the time to review the story. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters.**

 _Chapter Two_

"Dammit guys, why did we ever think it was a good idea to go for a drink on a Sunday night?" I ask Alice and Rose as we all move around the cramped kitchen.

"I believe it was your idea." Rose hands me a cup of coffee.

"Well it's been a tough weekend with the paper and the stress of the test coming up. But, you guys shouldn't ever agree with that." I take a sip of the coffee.

"Quit whining and go get ready for class. You are supposed to leave in ten minutes." Alice pulls the coffee cup out of my hands. "You go find clothes and I'll put this into a travel cup for you."

I walk into my room, throwing on the first pair of sweatpants and tshirt I can find. I pull my uncooperative hair into a messy bun. I'm tying my converses when Alice comes into my room with a travel cup in her hand.

"Try to have a good class." She giggles lightly.

"Yeah, thanks." I mumble as I take the coffee from her hand.

I walk out of the apartment, sipping on the coffee as I make my way to class. The coffee and fresh air do good for the massive headache I have. When I make it to class, I pull out the bottle of aspirin that I keep in my purse and I swallow two with my coffee. Once I've done that, I lay my head on the desk, hoping the lights will be turned off by the time I look back up.

"Rough night?" The chair beside me slides out as someone sits down.

"What gave me away?" I lift my head to see Edward sitting beside me.

"It's everything combined." He smirks as he looks down at me.

"I didn't know you were in my biology class." I look around the classroom, watching people filling in the seats.

"I'm not. The labs are a combination of classes. I sat beside you because I thought you could help me bring my grades up. But, now I'm starting to rethink that decision." He teases me.

"Good idea. There's a seat open by that blonde over there." I point at the blonde girl who was staring at us.

"Oh God, don't point at her." He grabs my arm and puts it back on the desk. "So who goes out drinking on a Sunday anyway?" He continues, pulling out a notebook. "You're going to make a good impression on the lab teacher showing up on the first day hungover."

"Shut up." I pull out the lab book and a notebook, setting them on the desk in front of me.

The teacher, Mr. Banner, walks in a few minutes late. He is an older man with dark hair and glasses.

"Glad to see you all here on our first day. Since you have already had several biology classes by now, we are going to jump right in." He sets his bag down on the table. I groan and I can hear Edward chuckling beside me.

When the class is over, I move quickly to gather my things and make it out of the door.

"Where are you going so fast?" Edward falls into step beside me.

"I have a nursing class right after this one. And it's on the other side of the campus. If I don't hurry, I could be late." I concentrate on my feet as I walk quickly, trying not to trip over myself.

"Nursing, huh?"

"Yeah. I love it." I smile. "What is your major?"

"I'm getting a music degree. But, as you could see Friday night, I'm also working on my music career. Trying to get started on it."

"Well you played wonderfully." I offer.

"Thanks." He smiles at me. "Well this is where my next class is. I guess I'll see you around." He begins walking to the building we are approaching on the right.

"Bye." I call after him, continuing on my path to my next class.

When my classes are finished for the day and I make it back to the apartment, I turn off the lights in my room and lay down on my bed. Just one quick nap and then I'll be able to get up and work on my homework.

I hear the door to my bedroom fling open and then suddenly there is light everywhere.

"What the fuck?" I pull the blanket over my face.

"Time to go shopping!" Alice pulls on the end of the blanket, but I hold onto it tightly.

"We don't need to shop." I roll over, facing the wall.

"We won't have food for dinner if we don't go shopping. And I don't think I can eat pizza again. So get up, Rose and I are waiting on you." She leaves the room with the lights still on and the door still open.

I pull myself away from my bed, leaving the warm comfort. When I walk into the living room, Alice and Rose are sitting on the couch with a puppy laying in between them.

"Why is there a dog here?" I stand in front of the TV, demanding the attention.

"Room inspections. Emmett asked me to keep him while they looked around his apartment." Rose pets the dog.

"Why does Emmett have a dog?"

"I don't know. You know how he is. He probably saw a free puppy sign somewhere and he picked one up." She sighs, running her fingers through her hair.

"Is it house trained? Can it even stay here alone while we go shopping?" I looked at the puppy doubtfully.

"Emmett swears he is. I guess we'll find out when we get back." Rose pets the dog once more before she gets up off of the couch.

Alice, Rose, and I all pile into Rose's red convertible and she takes off for the store. The store is pretty empty and it doesn't take us long before we are checking out. I pick up a hershey's bar from the rack beside the register and throw it on the pile.

I enjoyed the chocolate as Rose drove back to campus. The dog must have been somewhat trained because it met us at the door. I looked around the room to see that everything was still intact, just as we left it. I didn't see any messes on the floor. Alice bends down and scoops up the dog, cooing to it as she walks into the living room. Rose and I walk the bags into the kitchen and begin putting the groceries away.

"Anybody home?" Emmett opens the door and walks in with Jasper following him.

"Ever heard of knocking?" I fake glare at him.

"Awh, Bella, don't act like you're not happy to see me." Emmett wraps me up in one of his bear hugs.

"Put her down." Rose slaps him on the shoulder.

"Ouch, Rosie, that hurt. Kiss it better." He smiles at her as she places me down. She rolls her eyes at me and we walk into the kitchen to find Alice, Jasper, and the dog curled up on the couch.

"Oh that reminds me. Emmett, why do you have a dog?"

"I went to the grocery store and there was this box sitting there by the door. It had free puppies written on the side. There wasn't anyone around, someone must have dropped the box off. I looked inside and there was just this one little puppy in there all by itself. So I picked him up and brought him home." The dog's head lifts at the sound of Emmett's voice.

"Hey, Fang!" Emmett cooes to the dog.

"Fang?" Alice scoffs. "That's not a proper name for a dog."

"Well it's too late now, he already knows his name." Emmett sticks out his tongue at her and takes a seat in my chair.

Rose and I take a seat on the floor and we all watch TV in silence for a few minutes.

"Well, we should be going Rose if we want to make our dinner reservations." Emmett stands up after a moment and Rose joins him. Alice and Jasper stand up too.

"Double date?" I guess as I watch them all get up. Alice nods.

"Well you are free to leave once you get rid of the dog." I look at it still sleeping on the couch.

"Can't you please watch him?" Emmett looks at me, pouting.

"No, it's your dog. It's got to go." I put my hands on my hips, trying to look stern.

"Fang is a he, Bell, not an it." Emmett pouts more. "I'll love you forever. Besides, you obviously need some bonding time. Don't forget to feed him and take him outside. Thanks so much, you're a lifesaver." Emmett pulls Rose to the door. They are both in the hallway before he finishes his sentence.

I sigh as I look at the dog again. He is kind of cute. He is a smallish black dog. I can tell he is going to be huge when he gets older though. I walk into the kitchen, pulling out a bowl to put his food in. When the food starts hitting the bowl, I can hear him running into the kitchen to eat.

I get up from my chair when I hear Fang lightly bark at the door.

"How does he get you outside without anyone noticing?" I ask him as I pick up the leash Emmett left.

Fang lets out another bark as I hook the leash to his collar. I pick him up and lightly jog outside. I set him down on the concrete and he starts sniffing around.

"You show up to class hungover and now you're bringing a dog out of your apartment? You are a rule breaker, Bella Swan." I hear Edward's voice come from behind me.

 **A/N: Second chapter is finished! Thank you for reading! Leave me a review and let me know what you think :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters.**

 _Chapter Three_

"You just always seem to catch me at the best of times." I smile as Fang jumps on Edward's leg.

"It's a blessing and a curse." Edward reaches down to pet Fang and I can't seem to take my eyes off of him.

"I'd definitely call it a curse. But anyway, I need to get Fang back inside before someone notices." I look over my shoulder at the door to my apartment building.

"Why do you have a dog anyway?" Edward doesn't move to stop petting Fang or get up.

"Emmett's dumbass self brought it home and then left it with me while he went on a date with one of the girls who lives in the apartment with me."

"Ah, the joys of being friends with an oversized child." Edward laughs as he finally stands up from petting Fang.

"We all love him even if he does things like this." I smile. I pick Fang up, taking a step away from Edward and towards the door.

"See you around, Bella." Edward smiles at me before turning around and walking away.

I did the only thing I could do, stand there staring at Edward's back as he walks away, for a few moments before I collected myself and took Fang back inside of the building. One small barking incident when a girl passed Fang and I and we were back in the apartment, curled up on the couch.

I let myself go to bed early, before my friends made it back to the apartment. With nothing else to do with Fang, I let him in my room to sleep in my bed until Emmett came back to take his dog. I set my alarm for too early in the morning because clinical started bright and early at the local hospital.

I groan when my alarm clock goes off, pulling myself out of bed. Fang hops off the bed with me. _What the fuck? Did Emmett not come get him last night? I'm going to kill that man._ I walk Fang into the living room to see Emmett eating a bowl of cereal on our couch while watching TV.

"Why the hell was your dog still in my bed when I woke up this morning?" I watch as Fang abandons me in favor of Emmett.

"You both just looked so happy curled up together. Who am I to break that up?" Emmett pets Fang.

"Don't let it happen again, asshole."

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed, buddy." I hear Emmett "whisper" to Fang as I walk away. I ignore them in favor of getting a shower. I have to look presentable for clinical after all.

Once my shower is over and I'm feeling a tiny bit more human, I get dressed in my school given scrubs. I go through my pockets and backpack, making sure I have everything that I need. I double check all my books. I throw my backpack over my shoulder, heading for the kitchen. I pour myself a cup of coffee in a mug and call goodbye to Emmett as I'm walking out of the door.

Upon arriving at the hospital, I rush to finish my coffee before I begin the long walk from the student parking to the building. I pull the visor down and open the mirror. When I am sure all of my hair is secured into the pony tail, I step out of the car into the chilly morning.

"You ready for today?" Another girl in school scrubs calls out to me.

"As ready as I can be this early." I laugh as I fall into step beside her for the walk into the building.

The day passes quickly, as it always does when I'm working in the clinical setting. It's my favorite time of being in school. Actually getting real life experience.

When the day is over, I walk back to my car. I look at my phone for the first time all day, looking through the text messages I missed. Both Rose and Alice have texted me, informing me that we are going out tonight.

As a testimony to how much I love my friends, I jump in the shower when I get home to prepare for the night out. After getting up early and a long day at the hospital, the last thing I want is to go out. But from their text messages, it seems they insist.

I am wrapping the towel around my hair when I hear them come in the apartment.

"Bella?" I hear Alice call out to me.

"In my room!" I call back, listening for the light footsteps to come down the hall way.

"Oh good! You're already showered. How about you sit here in the chair and I'll get to work on your hair and Rose can help with your makeup." Alice gestures to the chair sitting in front of my desk.

I sigh and then walk over to take a seat. I am preparing for my least favorite game of Bella Barbie. I lose myself in the noise of the hair dryer and the rhythmic brush strokes of Rose putting on my makeup.

"One more and I'll be done." Alice announces proudly as she wraps the last strand of hair around the curling iron.

"You look amazing." Rose pulls out a mirror to show me. I am slightly amazed every time they doll me up. I always look great.

"You've outdone yourself this time." I smile up at Rose as Alice releases my hair from the curling iron. She sprays hairspray over my hair one more time.

"Where are we going?" I ask as I watch Alice comb through my closet.

"There's another live performance at that bar we went to not too long ago. We want to go check it out." Rose looks in the mirror, fixing her lipstick.

"Who's playing?" Alice pulls out a red top and holds it out to me.

"The same guy as last time. Your friend." Alice winks at me. "Now go get dressed."

"He's not my friend, he's my lab partner." I call as I move to the bathroom.

"Whatever. He's cute and he's totally into you." Alice follows me, adjusting the shirt once I have it on.

"You look great!" Alice claps and pulls my out of the bathroom by my hand. "You ready Rose?"

Rose nods and we head out to the car.

The bar is packed, once again. Every time Edward plays, it seems to bring in a good crowd. Unlike last time, I don't have the luck to find a table and we are forced to stand near the back.

As soon as Edward comes out onto the stage, everyone goes quiet and we all manage to lose ourselves in the music for the next hour.

 **A/N: Thank you to everyone who is still keeping up with this! I am still working on the story. I didn't plan on it taking this long to update, but life got in the way. I do plan on finishing the story! It just might not be as quick as I want. Thank you for reading! Leave me a review :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"So what did you think of the show?" Edward asks from behind me.

"I was surprised at your complete lack of talent." I turn to Edward, winking at him.

"Damn, Swan, you wound me." Edward whines, putting his hand over his heart.

"I actually really enjoyed your set. I think you're a great performer." I smile.

"Well thank you. As soon as I saw you standing in the crowd, I had a good reason to perform at my best." Edward pulls the beer out of my hand, taking a sip of it.

"Can't you ever get your own drink?" I laugh at Edward, moving towards the bar.

"I can. I just like taking yours." Edward laughs as well, following me.

I get another beer from the bartender as Edward hops up on the bar stool beside where I'm standing. I watch him as he downs the rest of my beer and orders another. I take a sip of the cold beer in my hand.

"So, your friends bring you here again? Or did you hear I was playing?" Edward turns to face me as I climb up onto a stool.

"A little of both." I take another drink of the beer.

"Well, how about you make me the luckiest guy in the bar and come home with me?" Edward places his hand on my lower back.

"That line work for you often, Cullen?" I laugh.

"Works enough. But I can see I'll have to do better to get you."

I try to push away the jealously I feel as Edward mentions other girls. I shake my head a little, not wanting to picture that. I put the beer bottle back to my lips, taking a long draw from it, allowing the cool liquid to bring some calm to me.

"You'll have to do so much better." I bump my shoulder into his side as he takes a small swig of his beer.

I smile at him as I tip the bottle back, finishing the rest of the beer.

"How about some shots?" I insisted.

"Haven't you heard 'beer before liquor, never been sicker'?" He scoffs at me.

"Wimp." I mutter as I wave at the bartender to get his attention again.

"Two shots of the…pineapple vodka, please." I make a random choice from the bottles of alcohol behind the counter.

"Coming right up." The bartender smiles at me.

I shudder as I turn away from him, something about him doesn't sit right with me. This isn't the first time I've had this feeling with this particular bartender. But he has never done anything to give me any reason to feel like this. I lean a little closer to Edward, allowing his solid body to offer me some strength.

"You insisting that I take one with you?" Edward smiles at me as the bartender places the drinks down in front of me.

"They are actually both for me." I smile to myself, reaching up to pull the two shots closer to me.

"My type of woman." The bartender smiles and winks at me before turning and walking away.

I try my best to ignore the comment that the bartender threw my way as I pick up the first shot.

"Asshole." I hear Edward mumble under his breath.

I pour the burning liquid down my throat and swallow quickly, doing my best not to make a sour face. I slap Edward's hand away as he reaches for the other shot.

"Get your own." I mumble as I pick up the second shot and put it to my lips.

I hear Edward laugh as I take the second shot, feeling less of the burning in my throat with this one.

"One more." I whisper as I wave at a different bartender.

He makes his way to me quickly and I order another shot of the same drink.

"Make that two." Edward says quickly, catching the bartender before he can walk away to pour my drink.

"Yay, you're joining me." I clap twice as I smile widely.

"I think both of these shots might be mine though…" Edward trails off.

I pout at him, as a shot appears on the bar in front of me.

"Cheers." Edward says as he taps his glass against mine.

"Cheers." I repeat, pulling the liquid into my mouth.

"That's so good." I shift my weight to one foot, pulling away from Edward some. I can feel the electricity sparking between us. Or maybe I'm just on my way to being drunk.

"What's going on, chick?" Rosalie pops up beside me.

"I think I need another drink…" I look at Rose.

"I think you're fine where you're at now." Rose smirks as she looks at me.

"What happened to Alice?" I look around the bar, suddenly remembering the other person that I came here with.

"Out there, dancing with the boyfriend." Rose giggles a little.

I look around the dance floor, quickly spotting the couple catching a lot of attention as they dirty dance to the fast-paced music blaring over the speakers. It doesn't seem that Alice or Jasper know the attention that they have captured. They are so wrapped up in each other.

"They are so cute…" I giggle at the end of the sentence.

"I don't think 'cute' is what they are going for." Rose joins me in the giggling.

"I wish I had that." I sigh, turning away from Rose.

Edward quickly catches my attention now that I'm no longer looking at Rose.

"You'll find it." Edward pats my hand as it rests against the bar.

"Hopefully, in three years." I smile, thinking of the plan that I had.

This plan was put together years ago, based on how my mother used to tell me to live my life. Of course, it's the complete opposite of how she lived her life.

"Graduate high school, graduate college, get a job, become stable, get married, have babies." My mom always used to tell me when I was growing up. I always planned on taking it seriously, even though she might not have meant it so seriously.

"Three years?" Edward asks.

"I have a plan." I state confidently.

"What if you were to find him before that? What if you already found him?" Edward whispers in my ear, watching Rosalie, as if to see if she was paying attention.

"Where?" I look around the bar as I giggle.

Edward lets out a sharp laugh and then pulls away from me.

"Let's dance." I grab Rose's hand.

I pull her out to the dance floor quickly. It doesn't take long until we are surrounded by people, our bodies touching as we dance to the music. My hands are in the air, my head is spinning. This is the most fun I've had in forever. I can't contain the smile on my face.

Moments after that thought, I feel arms wrap around my waist. I turn quickly, facing the person who is now wrapped around me. The bartender from earlier smiles down at me.

"Thought I wouldn't notice you dancing for me?" He smirks as he pulls me closer.

"Let me go." I demand, my head still spinning.

I begin to panic when his arm tightens around my waist instead of letting me go. I turn and look for Rose, who is now dancing with Emmett and neither of them is paying attention to me.

I turn back to the bartender.

"I need to go." I put my hands against his chest, pushing as hard as I could.

"Just dance with me, one song." He doesn't loosen his grip on my waist any.

"No, let me go." My head spins faster. The room seems to be sideways. I can definitely feel the effect of the alcohol, but I can also feel the panic beginning to set in.

"Just do what she says, man." Edward's voice comes from behind me.

"And who the fuck are you to be telling me what to do?" James snarls.

"Let her go before I drag you away from her." Edward takes a step closer.

I reach out for him, wanting to feel the safety of his arms. I know if I could make it into his arms, I would feel safe again.

"Whatever." James releases my waist. "This isn't over." He smiles at me before walking away.

"Are you okay?" Edward puts his hand on my arm.

"Thank you for that." I smile.

"I think it's time to get you home." Edward wraps his arm around the middle of my back.

* * *

 **A/N:** _I sincerely apologize to everyone who was reading this story when I stopped writing. I am back working on this story and want to resume posting updates. I will try to post regularly._

 _I want to thank everyone who has left reviews and I would love to hear from anyone with any comments, questions, or concerns about the story! I love hearing from you readers. I definitely want to thank everyone who has taken time to read this!_

 _I look forward to continuing to write and see where this story leads._


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